Where the middle 50% lands.
Half earn between $56k and $190k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $281k, roughly 2.2 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.
| Percentile | Total comp | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90th | $280,537 | Top 10% of earners |
| 75th | $190,066 | 25% earn more than this |
| 50th · median | $125,572 | The typical executive |
| 25th | $56,352 | 25% earn less than this |
| 10th | $16,784 | 10% of executives earn less than this |
How the package is built.
The typical pay structure across 210 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (37% of the 576 orgs in this slice). Each share is the average across orgs of the fraction of total comp that goes to this component, so the bar fills 100%.
The number in context.
Every row links to its own dedicated benchmark page.
All figures are median total reported compensation · IRS Form 990, Schedule J
Pay varies by state.
New York pays $44,616 more than the median COO compensation in arts, culture & humanities nationally.
The ten highest-paid arts, culture & humanities COOs by filing.
| # | Organization | Location | Total compensation | Filing year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Robert Rauschenberg Foundation | New York, NY | $712,500 | 2023 |
| 02 | Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts Foundation | Richmond, VA | $636,112 | 2023 |
| 03 | Playhouse Square Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $619,569 | 2023 |
| 04 | Shed Nyc Inc | New York, NY | $571,918 | 2023 |
| 05 | Union Station Kansas City Inc | Kansas City, MO | $504,999 | 2024 |
| 06 | National Constitution Center | Philadelphia, PA | $496,573 | 2023 |
| 07 | World Trade Center Performing Arts | New York, NY | $491,962 | 2023 |
| 08 | Music And Event Management Inc | Cincinnati, OH | $467,251 | 2023 |
| 09 | Navy Pier Inc | Chicago, IL | $462,605 | 2023 |
| 10 | Public Media Group Of Southern | Burbank, CA | $459,035 | 2023 |
Total includes base, bonus, other reportable, and deferred/retirement compensation per Schedule J.
What does a $X org pay?
Adjust the slider to your organization's revenue. The median COO compensation for arts, culture & humanities nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.